The 2024-25 NHL season is upon us, and teams submitted their rosters.<\/p>\n
Here is what the\u00a0Dallas Stars <\/a>opening roster<\/a> looks like.<\/p>\n Jason Robertson<\/a> There are no real surprises here as most of the lineup was set going into training camp with the majority of last year’s roster returning. Several players from that team will be jumping lines to start the season; most notably Wyatt Johnston taking the place of his mentor, Joe Pavelski<\/a>, on the first line<\/a>.<\/p>\n The top line may have some complications early as the trio has little previous playing time together and has faced some injuries<\/a> throughout the offseason. Robertson did not skate with the team as he recovered from surgery. Now, Johnston is battling through an injury as the season begins. He is still expected to be able to lay in Nashville on Thursday.<\/p>\n “With Pav’s departure, there’s a lot of chemistry we’re going to miss, but we’ve got Little Pav coming in,” Robertson<\/a> told the media on Monday. Johnnie’s a quick learner, so I’m sure he’s going to come in and adapt. It might take some time to get used to it, but he’s 21 years old, so he’s going to learn quick.”<\/p>\n The second line<\/a> of Mason Marchment, Tyler Seguin, and Matt Duchene stays together and could easily be the most productive early in the season based on the rapport they have built with each other. Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque also make the Dallas Stars opening roster with more prominent roles expected. However, Bourque<\/a> will start the season on the Injured Non-Roster list.<\/p>\n That opens the door for the last two forwards on the team to make an early impact. Colin Blackwell was the favorite to earn the final spot on the fourth line going into the offseason and will play alongside Evgenii Dadonov and Sam Steel. Oskar Back also made the opening roster as a rookie in the final forward spot. He’s more of a two-way player and will likely make his NHL debut on Thursday with Bourque missing.<\/p>\n Mathew Dumba<\/a> Six of the seven defencemen<\/a> spots seemed to be filled on the Stars roster entering training camp. Three players (Lindell, Heiskanen, and Harley<\/a>) had become regular staples of the lineup. Three others (Dumba, Smith, and Lyubushkin) signed heavy contracts in the offseason.<\/p>\n That left one spot available, and it went to Lundkvist. The Stars decided not to give him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent but brought him back on a one-year unrestricted “prove it” deal. Fans and coaches have been waiting for him to take the next step in his development, and winning the last roster spot in a deep position group is a great start.<\/p>\n Lundkvist beat out Alexander Petrovic<\/a>, Lian Bichsel, and Kyle Copabianco for the roster spot.<\/p>\n Dallas believes it is deeper on defence than in years past. The group has a diverse skill set, with several players bringing a plus-offensive game and additions that increase the group’s physicality. Making more of the unit into complete NHL players will be the biggest challenge this season, particularly after Chris Tanev<\/a>‘s departure.<\/p>\n Jake Oettinger<\/a> The goalie situation ended up exactly how you would expect it. While there is always debate over keeping two or three goalies, Dallas tends to be a two-goalie team under Pete DeBoer and his staff.<\/p>\n Jake Oettinger is one of the young cornerstones for this team and has been one of its best performers throughout his career. He particularly excels during the playoffs and feels he is ready to bring those types of performances to the regular season more frequently. Even during his worst years, he is an All-Star caliber player, so it would be foolish to expect him to end up anywhere else anytime soon.<\/p>\n “I feel like my game’s been dialed in,” Oettinger<\/a> told reporters. “That’s the nice thing. Training camps are long, but you have a lot of time to work on the stuff you want to work on.”<\/p>\nStars Opening Roster<\/h2>\n
Forwards (13)<\/h3>\n
\nRoope Hintz<\/a>
\nWyatt Johnston<\/a>‘
\nTyler Seguin<\/a>
\nMatt Duchene<\/a>
\nMason Marchment<\/a>
\nJamie Benn<\/a>
\nLogan Stankoven<\/a>
\nMavrik Bourque<\/a>*
\nEvgenii Dadonov<\/a>
\nSam Steel<\/a>
\nColin Blackwell<\/a>
\nOskar Back<\/p>\nThe Top Line<\/h4>\n
Chances for Impact<\/h4>\n
Defencemen (7)<\/h3>\n
\nThomas Harley<\/a>
\nBrendan Smith<\/a>
\nIlya Lyubushkin<\/a>
\nMiro Heiskanen<\/a>
\nEsa Lindell<\/a>
\nNils Lundkvist<\/a><\/p>\nDefence Analysis<\/h4>\n
Stars Opening Roster Goaltenders (2)<\/h3>\n
\nCasey DeSmith<\/a><\/p>\nGoalie Anlaysis<\/h4>\n